


Baking for Beginners

by DeathByStorm



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Gift Fic, M/M, Post-Canon, Shance Secret Santa 2018, So fluffy you will get diabetes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 23:25:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17151026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathByStorm/pseuds/DeathByStorm
Summary: Shiro frowned at the website that he’d pulled up on his phone. ‘Baking for Beginners!’ it stated on the top of the page in overly cheery font. The ingredients list was split into ‘wet’ and ‘dry.’It was early in the morning. He figured that he would get the cookies out of the way as they would keep the longest and Lance wouldn't be home from work for several hours yet. He swallowed hard and patted the little box in his pocket for good luck..“This looks easy enough.”





	Baking for Beginners

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moccici](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moccici/gifts).



> As always, thank you to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing
> 
> Surprise, Moccici! I was your secret santa! This piece was quite fun to write and I hope you enjoy reading it! Have a happy holiday and a merry Shancemas :)

Shiro frowned at the website that he’d pulled up on his phone. ‘Baking for Beginners!’ it stated on the top of the page in overly cheery font. The ingredients list was split into ‘wet’ and ‘dry.’

It was early in the morning. He figured that he would get the cookies out of the way as they would keep the longest and Lance wouldn't be home from work for several hours yet. He swallowed hard and patted the little box in his pocket for good luck.

“This looks easy enough.”

Black let out a chirp and looked back at him.

“I’ll be baking treats for you and Blue in no time,” Shiro said.

The cat gave him a supremely unimpressed stare and then stalked out of the kitchen. Shiro shook his head. Everyone was a critic.

*

‘Fold the chocolate chips inside the dough’

Shiro stared at the congealed mess at the bottom of the bowl. It was more like cement than cookie dough at this point. He pulled up the recipe again and scanned the directions, wondering where he’d gone wrong.

“Maybe some more milk?” Shiro said hopefully.

He filled up the measuring cup and then poured the water in on top of the mixture. It ran down the sides of the cement-dough and gathered near the bottom of the bowl. Shiro poked it with a spoon and frowned. If anything, it had gotten harder. How was that even possible?

Who knew cookies were so easy to screw up?

“Well, all I can do is try again,” Shiro said and rolled up his sleeves.

After all, he'd get better with practice.

*

It was time to admit defeat. He, Takashi Shirogane, who had fought in an intergalactic war, helped lead the Voltron coalition, former paladin of the black lion, could not bake.

He looked at the sad remnants of his previous attempts. So far, he’d destroyed three baking trays, had to clean out the oven twice from batches of cookies that had turned into terrifying eldritch horror abominations, and had covered himself and the kitchen in flour. On the stove sat his last batch fresh out of the oven, smoking.

Shiro glanced at the clock. He had what, three hours before Lance got home? It was time to get the actual dinner part made. He sighed and looked around at the kitchen.

“Maybe I should just order in.”

He reached for the broom. At least the dinner he had planned was relatively easy. It was hard to go wrong with steak and potatoes.

*

He had just finished throwing the ruined pots and baking pans in the sink to soak when the sound of the door slamming shut echoed down the hallway.

“Babe, I’m home!” Lance called. “Could you come help me with the tree?”

Shiro dried his hands with a towel and stepped out of the cramped kitchen to find Lance standing there holding something over his head.

“Oh no, whatever shall we do, Shiro,” he whispered, smiling. “We’re trapped under the mistletoe.”

Shiro snorted with laughter and then swept Lance up for a kiss.

“Are those cookies I smell?” Lance asked after they separated.

“About that,” Shiro said scratching the back of his neck. “I was going to surprise you, but they didn’t turn out so well.”

Neither did the steaks if he was being completely honest, but that was why he had just thrown his hands up in the air and called Hunk. It was imperative that he get this done tonight. He swallowed, as if the physical action could quell the sick feeling in his stomach. If he waited much longer, he might end up losing his nerve.

Lance peeked around Shiro’s shoulder.

“Was this because of what I mentioned last night?” Lance said. “About missing my abuella’s baking?”

Lance said nothing of the remaining mess, just picked his way through the disaster of a kitchen and plucked one of the less burnt cookies off the tray.

“Lance, you don’t need to-”

“Nope no way, I’m eating this cookie because my boyfriend was thoughtful enough to make them for me.”

And not for the first time, the thought crossed Shiro’s mind how lucky he was to have someone like Lance in his life. The next thought that crossed his mind was that he wouldn’t have Lance much longer if he managed to poison himself with his abominable cookies.

Lance danced out of reach of Shiro’s grasping fingers, crammed the cookie in his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully.

“They aren’t bad, Shiro.”

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Shiro asked.

“Never better, Captain.” Lance smiled and pecked Shiro’s cheek. “Now let’s get that tree set up.”

It was overcast outside and Shiro could smell the snow in the air. Lance’s breath puffed out in little clouds as he began undoing the bungee cords that attached the tree to the car. Together, they eased it onto the ground. The fresh scent of pine wafted through the air.

It was a bit of a struggle to haul it in, but soon it was standing in the corner by the window in its little base.“

You chose well, Lance,” Shiro said softly and couldn’t help but smile as his boyfriend preened under the praise.

“It’s too bad about the snow,” Lance mused as he popped another ruined cookie is in his mouth.

“I think it’s perfect,” Shiro said.

Lance wrinklehd hisnose at him. “We’re going to have to make our commutes in that tomorrow.”

“Mmm we could always call in sick,” Shiro murmured. 

“And stay in bed all day,” Lance said wistfully.

There was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Shiro said. “Lance, could you close your eyes?”

He made sure his boyfriend obliged him, before heading to the door. Hunk stood there smiling with several boxes of takeout boxes stacked on top of each other.

“Hey Hunk,” Shiro said.

“Normally I would totally have let one of the others deliver it,” Hunk said. “But this is for Lance, right?”

“That’s right,” Shiro said, digging out his wallet. “And it’s nice to see you, Hunk.”

“No, nope. I won’t accept that,” Hunk said. “My friends don’t need to pay for my cooking.”

He shoved the boxes into Shiro’s hands before he could say anything in protest.

“But-”

“Oh, would you look at the time. I’ve got to get going. Bye!”

Shiro shook his head and closed the door.

He slipped into the kitchen and started pulling out some plates. He quickly dished out the food and took it over to the dining room table. He quickly pulled out the candles that he’d squirreled away nearby and lit them. Perfect. Now all he needed was– 

“Can I open my eyes yet, Shiro?”

“Almost.” Shiro walked over to him and pulled him gently to his feet. Lance went with the movement easily and let Shiro lead him into the dining room.

“Okay, now you can,” Shiro said softly.

“Oh, wow Shiro. This looks great,” Lance said.

“You can thank Hunk for that,” Shiro said. “Wine?”

“Sure.”

Shiro took a couple of deep breaths and pulled out the bottle of wine that he had purchased for this occasion. The wine bottle hit one of the glasses a little harder than he had intended and cracked. He cursed under his breath and threw it in the trash.

“You okay, Shiro?” 

"Yes, of course.”

“Mmm, you seem a little nervous. You sure about that?”

“Ah no, why would you think that?” Shiro said, taking pride in his lack of stuttering.

“Oh, I don’t know. The frazzled look on your face when I walked in, the fact that you just broke a wine glass right now."

Shiro turned and found a smile for his worried boyfriend “Everything’s fine. Don’t worry.”

He finally pried the cork off and let it air for a moment before pouring the wine. He set it in front of Lance before picking up his utensils.

“It’s your favourite rosé,” Shiro said.

“Oh, are you trying to butter me up?” Lance leaned forward toward Shiro. Their lips met briefly over the table. He pulled back with a smile. “Because it’s working.”

Shiro felt the heat on his cheeks and did his best to settle back down. And for a little while he was able to forget his nerves and simply enjoy Lance’s company.

“Thanks for doing this, Shiro,” Lance said quietly as Shiro cleared the dishes away.

“You’re welcome,” Shiro said. He paused a moment. This was it. “I have one more surprise for you.”

“Oh?”

Shiro walked over to their desktop and quickly pulled up a playlist. As the first few strums of guitar started up, he walked over to Lance and held out his hand.

“May I have this dance?”

A smile blossomed across Lance’s face, taking Shiro’s breath away. He allowed Shiro to pull him to his feet and together they began to sway to the music. Feeling a bit playful, Shiro spun him.

Lance stumbled a little at the unexpected movement and laughed as Shiro pulled him into an improvised waltz around the kitchen at odds with the music playing in the background. Lance kept up with ease.

“You’ve gotten really good at this,” he murmured.

“Well, I’d like to think that I am full of surprises.”

“Surprises? We went to dance lessons together, Shiro. But go ahead surprise me.”

“Hmm, how about this?” He led them into a salsa and instead of leading Lance into a turn, he swung him down in a dip without warning. His boyfriend went easily with the movement and then forced Shiro to support even more of his weight by hanging off his neck. “No?”

Lance shook his head. “You’ll have to try harder than that.”

Shiro straightened them up and lead him through a turn.

“What about this?” Shiro brushed his hand up Lance’s neck and cupped his jaw, making him shiver.

“Closer,” Lance murmured as his eyes went half-lidded. “But no cigar.”

“Oh?” Shiro’s heart was rattling in his chest. His palms were sweating, and he took a deep breath. It was now or never. He brought Lance to a stop. “What about this?”

In one swift movement, Shiro pulled the box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee. Lance covered his mouth with one hand as his eyes filled with tears.

“Lance, I love you more than anything,” Shiro began. "We’ve come so far together, from forming Voltron to fighting in an intergalactic war to coming back to Earth and building a life here. Will you-”

“Yes!”

The tangle of nerves in Shiro’s chest loosened and he smiled up at Lance. “Babe, you need to let me finish.”

Lance wiped his eyes and nodded.

“Will you marry me?” Shiro said.

“As if I could say anything other than yes.”

Shiro got to his feet and when Lance held out his hand, slipped on the ring. Lance threw himself at Shiro and of course he caught him. After all, Shiro had been catching him since before they started dating.

Later, the Christmas tree was decorated, and they were cuddled up on the couch together. Lance snuggled a little closer with a mug of hot cocoa steaming in his hands. Shiro wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Sitting in comfortable silence, with a plate of burnt cookies in front of them, they watched the snow fall outside as the sky began to darken. The lights from their Christmas tree gave off a warm glow that reflected off the snow falling outside the window.

Shiro looked over at Lance, the outline of his jaw was cut sharply in the light. As if sensing his gaze, Lance turned to him and smiled.

He was content.

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell about Voltron with me or drop by to say hello on my [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)


End file.
